Journalist, entrepreneur and marketing firm founder. I write about higher ed and early career issues. Pithily. I was pontificating about Millennials and Millennial culture back when they were still known as Gen Y.

How Big Media Gets The Women-in-Biz Beat Wrong

I don’t think the comparison [ between men in business and women in business media coverage] is even close and what is available to aspiring female business leaders is scattered or scarce, i.e. ForbesWoman or Womenentrepreneur.com do not warrant stand alone magazines but how many women’s business publications are there to even compare to? Plus, is there one program on TV that speaks solely to women professionals given how many women own businesses or are in the workplace today? To quote the documentary Missrepresentation, “In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality – and not in her capacity as a leader.” Think about what permeates women’s content in mainstream magazines and TV shows. I know plenty of fashion, beauty, cooking, home decor and celebrity gossip-oriented content brands, but how many are celebrating women for their achievements as women leaders compared to their killer wardrobe or sense of style? There is a stark delineation between “fluff” content and “heavy” women’s content, leaving no room for in between. Part of the issue in mainstream media is the rule that content either needs to be squarely one or the other (fashion magazine v.s. business magazine). Sure, I’d love to see more smart publications and resources in the mainstream media for business women, but even more importantly, I feel women’s “lifestyle” media must evolve and make way for brands that speak to women more holistically as a population that wants to thrive both professionally and personally. Women make up half the world, produce 60% of the world’s work yet only make 10% of the world’s income so we have to look to mainstream media as at least one of the powerful vehicles to educate and empower women to shrink that gap.

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Thx for survey of these six women. I found their comments (not to mention the premise of your post) enlightening and instructive—even if I disagree on some points. I don’t believe, for example, that “there is a stark delineation between fluff content and heavy women’s content, leaving no room for in between,” as Claudia Chan says in the post. ForbesWoman has a very clear message and voice: success for business, professional and entrepreneurial women. Sometimes it takes the form of highlighting global female leaders (check out Freida Klotz’s “How Women Are Reshaping The Global Political Landscape”). Other times it’s how-to advice (most of Susannah Breslin’s posts), psychology (“Do Successful Women Struggle with Self Doubt?” by Barbara Stanny) or inspirational (see Leslie Bradshaw’s More Seats series of interviews). That’s just for starters–and this post fits perfectly. Sharp Skirts and some of the women you interview point arrows at ForbesWoman for not being riveted solely on business. We’re not. It’s true. And it’s on purpose. Even business-minded and entrepreneurial women are interested in celebrity culture, for example, or fashion and sex. Adelaide Lancaster is quoted here as saying that reporting on pop culture or the human or personal side of things is fine so long as it’s smart. As someone who is deeply engaged in FW’s coverage, I couldn’t agree more.

As a former newspaper business editor, I can tell you both that women are consistently under-represented in business and technology stories…and that editors actively look for qualified women sources so that stories will include more women. This is a golden opportunity for women who want to get quoted. I explain more in a white paper; contact me for a copy! http://www.wilson-taylorassoc.com/typolight-2.5.9/index.php/Media_training.html